UK MoD urged to field 'less than fully capable' systems

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) must consider fielding "less than fully capable" systems in a bid to introduce equipment into service more rapidly, according to industry figures.

Addressing the governmental defence committee, Sir Brian Burridge, Finmeccanica UK's vice president for strategic marketing said ground vehicles in particular should initially be fielded with an "80 percent capability".

With committee members describing such systems as "less than fully capable", Burridge added that both the defence industry and the MoD were "up" for the challenge.

He described how the Eurofighter Typhoon had come into service in 2005 with a very basic operational air-to-air capability: "If you look at it now, it is capable of air-to-ground [missions]."

Dr Sandy Wilson, president and managing director at General Dynamics UK (GDUK), reinforced this point by telling the committee that the initial FRES (Future Rapid Effects System) Utility Vehicle (UV) variant could have been "introduced earlier", allowing it to be "upgraded while in service".

In December 2008, the MoD withdrew the preferred bidder status from GDUK for the FRES UV variant. GDUK's 8x8 Piranha V vehicle had originally been selected for the programme.